Cholesterol-lowering drugs reduces 51% risk of breast cancer

According to a new study, women who are taking the cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins, such as Lipitor or Mevacor, appear to have much less chance of developing breast cancer.

Already shown to shield against prostate cancer, two new studies suggest statins also provide a greater than 50 percent reduction in risk with pancreatic and esophageal cancer, the researchers said.

The studies were presented on Monday at Digestive Disease Week 2005, in Chicago.

In a study of U.S. female veterans, Dr. Vikas Khurana from Louisiana State University Health Science Center in Shreveport and colleagues, compared statin use among 548 women with a history of breast cancer and almost 40,000 women without breast cancer. The average age of the women was 58 years and a total of 4,771 (12 percent), were using statins.

Khurana reported at a press briefing on advances in cancer prevention at the meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

The researchers found that after taking into consideration age, tobacco and alcohol use, and diabetes the analysis showed that statin use was associated with a 51 percent reduced risk of breast cancer.

The study is further proof that statins have chemopreventive potential, and raises the question of whether everyone should be given statins, says Dr. Robert J Mayer from Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston who moderated the briefing.

Khurana says at present that is not appropriate but he says the study suggests a future trial could answer that question.

Currently, says Khurana there is some data that suggests that patients with lipid abnormalities and at high risk for cancer might be preferably put on a statin as compared to other lipid-lower agents, for its presumed cancer prevention action.

The studies, based on health information collected by the Veterans Administration on more than 1.4 million men and women, suggest that taking statins reduces the risk of five types of cancer — prostate, pancreas, breast, lung and esophagus.

The risk reductions found were dramatic — ranging from 48 percent to 59 percent — and although the studies are not regarded as definite proof of a cancer-fighting effect, many scientists believe there will be increased pressure on doctors to prescribe statins.

The side-effects of statins usually are limited to gas and constipation but rare cases of severe muscle damage have been seen, Morgan noted. “The damage can be quite dramatic and debilitating,” he said.